The WHO investment round aims to secure $7.1 billion through voluntary contributions to fund the General Programme of Work (GPW) 2025–2028, addressing current funding challenges and operational inefficiencies. It encourages member states, partners, and philanthropies to make pledges at various high-level events throughout the year to ensure predictable and flexible funding. Key messages highlight that a fully funded WHO could save over 40 million lives and generate significant returns on investment.

1. Mira Ihalainen
Director, Communications, Resource Mobilization
and Partnership
WHO Investment
Case 2025–2028
and latest on the
WHO Investment
Round

2. 2
Agenda
2
What is the Investment
Round?
Investment Round
updates
1. 2.

3. What is the
Investment Round?
1.

4. 4
Current state of WHO funding:
Overreliance, unpredictability and inflexibility
Assessed
Contributions have
declined in real terms
and account for only
16% of the total
Budget
Operational
inefficiencies and
underfunded
health priorities
Top 10 contributors to WHO’s
Programme budget account for 70%
of the total
Unstable workforce (60% short
term contracts) and inefficient
implementation
3000 donor reports per year and
inefficient
grant cycle
Base budget mostly covered by
voluntary contributions
Growth of
Voluntary
Contributions from
small set of
donors; mostly
short-
term and
earmarked

5. 5
Assessed and Voluntary Contributions are both
important
with decision to
cover 50% of
Base of initial
Programme
budget 2022–
2023 by 2030–
2031
with aspiration to
obtain political
commitment to
fund GPW 14 with
more predictable
and flexible
Voluntary
Contributions
REFORM AGENDA

6. 6
Proposed increase in Assessed Contributions
Assessed Contributions increase between 2022 and
2031,
as introduced in the report on sustainable financing (A75/9)
submitted to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly
Initial assumptions:
(a)use of resolution WHA75.8
(2023) approved scale of assessment
for 2024– 2025;
(b)target for Assessed
Contribution increase is set at 50%
of the 2022–2023 approved budget
for the Base segment, at US$ 2182
million, to be reached by 2030–2031;
(c)amount of US$ 2182 million
should not change, even if future
programme budgets increase more
than the approved Programme
budget 2022–2023;
(d)the increase in Assessed
Contributions is phased, starting from
2024–2025.
The first increase in Assessed
Contributions
took place for 2024–2025 (US$ 191.4
million)

7. 7
The Investment Round – a unique opportunity
to rally all stakeholders around global health
WHO is not asking for additional funds compared to last biennium
Funding gap of US$ 7.1 billion which needs to be filled through voluntary
contributions
Fully fund the WHO General
Programme of Work 2025–
2028 (GPW 14) Base budget
by broadening the donor base
Secure predictable and
more flexible funding for
the four years, enabling
maximum effectiveness
Safeguard political
support keeping global
health on the world agenda
post COVID-19

8. 8
Investment Case: All for Health, Health for All
• Key fundraising document; translated in all official
languages
• Pull-outs and regional deep-dives to come
• Core messages:
• A fully-funded WHO will contribute to saving over
40 million lives over the next four years
• Healthy return of US$ 35 for every US$ 1 invested
• Now, more than ever, is not the time to take
progress in global health for granted, with strong
headwinds and stalling improvements in global
mortality
• WHO works with and alongside partners, leveraging
its unique role in the global health ecosystem to
catalyse progress

9. 9
Ask: WHO Investment Round is key to
resourcing GPW 14 2025–2028
Member State-approved
initiative to increase the
predictability,
flexibility and
resilience of WHO Base
budget
Member States, partners,
philanthropies and the
private sector are
encouraged to make
pledges towards the
Investment Round at key
events throughout the
year
1. 2.

10. Investment Round
update
2.

11. 11
Member State Steering Committee
Brazil
France Norwa
y
Germa
ny
Mauritania,
on behalf of
the African
Union
South
Africa
Saudi
Arabia
Indones
ia

12. 12
Investment Round roadmap
Seventy-seventh
World Health
Assembly Investment
Round and
Investment Case
launch
27 May
Key events
Other high-level events with pledging opportunities
Regional Committee Investment Round events
Aug Sept Oct Nov
G20 Leaders’
Summit
Investment Round
event
18 and 19 Nov.
G20 Joint finance
and health
ministers
Investment Round
event 31 Oct.
World Health
Summit
high-level
pledging event
14 Oct.
Regional
Committee
for Africa 27
Aug.
United
Nations
General
Assembly
multilatera
l
developmen
t bank
event
23 Sep.
High-level
meeting of
the United
Nations
General
Assembly on
antimicrobial
resistance
26 Sep.
Regional
Committee for
the Americas
1 Oct.
Regional
Committee for
South-East
Asia
7 Oct.
Regional
Committee for
the Eastern
Mediterranea
n 16 Oct.
Regional
Committ
ee for
the
Western
Pacific
22 Oct.
Twenty-ninth
session of the
Conference of
the Parties to
the United
Nations
Framework
Convention on
Climate Change,
Health Day
14 Nov.
Global High-
Level
Ministerial
Meeting on
Antimicrobi
al
Resistance
15 and 16
Nov.

13. 13
Generating momentum
REGIONAL SPECIAL EVENTS AND PLEDGING MOMENTS
• UNGA: Innovative approaches to global heath financing event,
jointly organized with European Investment Bank and other
Health Impact Investment Platform partners
• Multiple briefings: G20 Health and Health/Finance, WHO
Representatives Townhall
• Multiple strategic donor dialogues e.g. Saudi Arabia, Republic
of Korea, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust
• Investment Round communications package
• Investment Case
• Updated website + social media toolkit
• Op Ed from Heads of State of Steering Committee
• Investment Case regional pullouts (3) and thematic deep dives

14. 14
Financial overview | Scenarios and tracker
As of 25 Sept:
Scenarios
Est. Carry
forward 2025
Approximately: US$
2.2bn

15. 15
Increasing attractiveness of flexible funding
1. 2.
Expanded definition of
thematic funds now
live
• Information note
distributed to all staff
• Donors can contribute
flexibly to country offices
Better reporting
• More focus on outcomes
and outputs regularly
updated on website,
including commitments
made in the Investment
Case
• Improved flexible funds
report
3.
More recognition for
flexible donors (e.g. in
Investment Case)

16. 16
Rallying non-State actor support for the
Investment Round
Pledges made to
date:
US$ 54.2 million
from the African
Development Bank,
Children's Investment Fund
Foundation, European
Investment Bank, Helmsley
Charitable Trust, Institute of
Philanthropy, Roche Africa,
Temasek Foundation, and
World Diabetes Foundation
Philanthropic
partners:
US$ 137 million
in signed agreements for the
GPW 14 period, an additional
US$ 80 million in the pipeline.
Targeted outreach underway to
secure increased support.
Private sector
partners:
US$ 50 million
to be raised by the WHO
Foundation for the Investment
Round

17. 17
Heads of State and Government letters from
the Director-General
• Letters sent through the Missions
• Encouragement for all countries to
pledge towards the Investment
Round
• Identification of key opportunities to
pledge
• Request to make a short video
statement of support, including
pledge (instructions available)
• Health Minister can reiterate pledge
at their WHO Regional Committee

18. 18
Regional pledging moments
Regional Committee
Investment Round events
• Opportunities for all
countries to pledge
towards the Investment
Round
• Build momentum towards
the culmination at the G20
in November
• Opportunity to showcase
the value of WHO as well as
the need for increase in
the Assessed
Contributions and
sustainable funding
World Health Summit
high-level pledging event
14 October, 18:00–19:30
• Hosted by German Chancellor
Scholz, alongside France and
Norway
• Serves as the WHO European
Region pledging moment
• Major philanthropies will also
attend and pledge

19. 19
Investment Round events on the margins of
the G20
Joint Finance/Health
Ministerial Meeting
31 October, 11:30–12:30
• 60 minute side event
• WHO will set the scene on
the global health context
• Statements of support from
Ministers, including co-host
Member States
G20 Leaders’ Summit
18/19 November
• Opportunity for Heads of State
and Government to affirm their
commitments and support in
the plenary, during agenda
item on international
governance
• Culmination event where
President Lula of Brazil will
announce the total of all
pledges made to the
Investment Round, alongside
the WHO Director-General.

20. Thank you to those who
have pledged
Our ask to Member
States
We strongly encourage Member
States to pledge and to
encourage others to pledge as
well